The Editor tackles Panda Model’s new M1.
There is no doubt that the M1 Abrams is one of the most iconic and important tanks of the modern era and as such it has been extensively represented in miniature by all the major manufacturers in all the popular scales. Perhaps surprisingly the original M1 has been relatively passed over by the big names: Tamiya released their version back in 1982, just two years after the tank first entered service with the US Army. For its day, it was a good kit for its time but suffered from the usual inaccuracies and oversimplifications. In 1986 Academy released an M1, which was probably worse than the Tamiya kit, while Esci’s 1988 kit was similarly inadequate. In 2004 and 2005 respectively Trumpeter and Dragon produced the Panther II Mine Clearing Vehicle, providing modellers with excellent M1 hulls but oddly enough neither went on to produce either the M1 or M1IP gun tank.
While we have had new generation M1A1 and M1A2 kits from the likes of Academy, Dragon, Meng and Rye Field Model, it has taken until now for a new version of the original 105mm-armed M1 MBT. Panda Model’s M1 Abrams MBT is a welcome release and considerable improvement on the Tamiya kit, but, as we shall see, is not without its issues. The kit contains six sprues of dark yellow plastic, an upper and lower hull, clear sprue and a fret of photoetch. Looking atthe twenty-step instruction manual I presumed this would be a straightforward enough build, but things turned out a little differently as you’ll see.
The Kit
The kit is presented in a sturdy box with some attractive box art.
Denne historien er fra May 2018-utgaven av Military Modelcraft International.
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Denne historien er fra May 2018-utgaven av Military Modelcraft International.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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VIVE LA FRANCE!
Daniel Brooker returns with France’s ‘What-if’ Cold War Super Tank.
T-28
Fernando Olszewski joins the MMI team with a Small-Scale stunner.
COMRADES IN ARMS
Łukasz Orczyc-Musiałek returns with an ambitious World War II project.
KRAZ-6446 With Semi-Trailer
A descendant of the KrAZ-6322 6x6 heavy utility truck, the KrAZ-6446 was developed in Ukraine, specifically designed to haul semi-trailers.
Small-Scale Airbone
Ján Moravčík builds S-Model’s BMD-1.
Desert Beetle
Rob Ferreira builds Ryefield Model’s new VW.
The Edge Of Darkness
Roger Hurkmans depicts Dutch volunteers on the Eastern Front.
Amtrac
David Chou builds a USMC LVTP-5 from the Vietnam War.
Super Stupa
The Editor builds Tamiya’s new kit with some help from Eduard.
'Toujours Pret'
The Editor paints and weathers Panda Model’s Stryker Dragoon.